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Spinlister: Bringing IRONMAN Athletes Together

New IRONMAN partner Spinlister brings a simple solution to bike-related snafus with one word: Community.

This article is sponsored by Spinlister.

Every triathlete has their own unique system of training, and when all goes well, the process is like a well-oiled machine. However, plans gone awry can lead to feelings of panic. Having a community of athletes around you—others training for IRONMAN competitions who understand what you’re going through—is one of the best ways to deal with the unexpected.

While many triathletes yearn for this sort of tight-knit community, it can sometimes be hard to find. Fortunately for triathletes, a company called Spinlister is working to foster this sense of camaraderie and become the go-to solution when the unknown strikes.

Cole McIlwraith: The cure for a stolen bike

Cole McIlwraith was two weeks away from IRONMAN 70.3 Vineman when his bike was stolen out of his garage in San Francisco. To make matters worse, he had plans to head out of town for ten days, leaving him no time to shop around for a new bike.

After making several calls to different bike shops in the area, he was still empty handed. Then he found out about Spinlister. Immediately after signing up, McIlwraith was contacted by the CEO to see if he could help. "It just shows how much they are really out to help people," McIlwraith said.

McIlwraith’s positive experience didn’t end there. After quickly finding a rental bike through the service, he exchanged numbers and email addresses with the bike's owner, who was, according to McIlwraith, "extremely flexible, understanding of my situation, and willing to bend over backwards to make it work for me."

The rental bike wasn't your average rental. McIlwraith said he found it even faster than his old bike, and even better suited to racing. He was able to compete on a bike he had never used before without any problems or complications, experiencing first-hand how Spinlister connects IRONMAN athletes.

Jeremy Geer: No more training hiccups

Jeremy Geer has also experienced Spinlister's ingenuity. In the middle of training for an IRONMAN race, Geer and his wife traveled to San Diego from Colorado so his wife could take part in a marathon. The trip to San Diego presented a possible hiccup in Geer’s training schedule.

Rather than take on the hassle of packing up his bike and shipping it to San Diego, Geer decided to give Spinlister a shot. "Spinlister has just enough structure to make finding a listing that fit my requirements quickly, but also enough flexibility to quickly determine if there was something else that wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but might actually be a better option," Geer said.

For triathletes who are hoping to train while away from home, Spinlister's app makes it especially simple. Geer says that despite not being familiar with San Diego, the app paired his location with the closest available bikes.

Spinlister enabled Geer to continue training in a way that wouldn’t complicate his vacation. "Spinlister allowed me to relax and not worry about packing up my bike and all the accessories—I only needed to pack my cycling clothes." He was able to successfully maintain his training schedule, save money and avoid the headaches of transportation.

What is Spinlister?

Founded on April 1, 2012, Spinlister is a company that unites cyclists and IRONMAN athletes around the globe through one of their most prized possessions: their bikes. Spinlister has options for everyone, whether an athlete needs to rent a bike or is looking to make money off of the bike they already own.

Ronald Hudnet, a fireman in San Diego, uses Spinlister as a way to earn some extra money on two high-end bikes that he owns, Hudnet says, "The set-up is easy and you can reject people whom you feel sketchy about. The overall ease of use is the number one factor." For renters, Spinlister is an ideal way to bring in some additional income with little to no effort. Even while working a full-time job, Hudnet finds it easy to manage his bike rentals.

Though Spinlister is first and foremost a bike rental platform, it now also functions as a peer-to-peer sharing community for skis, snowboards, stand-up paddle boards and surfboards. For IRONMAN competitors, it's proven a unique way to meet other like-minded athletes and make training and competing easier.

How does it work?

→ Athletes can search for bikes wherever they are, in cities spanning 54 countries all around the globe, simply by connecting with the Spinlister web, iOS, or Android app.

→ After that, it’s simple. Just message the renter, requesting a specific date and time. When that is finalized, a pickup location is determined and the ride is yours to enjoy.

→ Using a database of user reviews, Spinlister's security is seamless. Renters and listers alike can feel confident in who they’re renting to and from. After every rental, reviews are collected from both the renter and the lister in order to benefit others in the community. The opportunity to hear about the experience of others is one of the things that makes Spinlister so valuable.

→ All bikes rented or loaned through Spinlister are insured up to $10,000. Many triathletes are understandably cautious about renting out one of their most prized possessions, but this insurance sets Spinlister apart. Triathletes can hand over their bikes knowing that it will be in good hands from the beginning of the process all the way to the end.

So what are you waiting for? Whether you’re in need of a bike to train with for an IRONMAN competition, looking to make a little extra money off of the bike you already own, or find yourself in the middle of a crisis with no easy way out, Spinlister functions as one of the most accessible and uncomplicated solutions for athletes today.